“For our latest mission we constructed a custom wooden lectern with a megaphone holster and an attached sign that read, “Say Something Nice.” The lectern was placed in public spaces around New York and then left alone. We wanted to see what would happen if New Yorkers were given the opportunity to amplify their voices to “say something nice.”
Find out more about this cool idea from improveverwhere.
Have you heard of Charlie Todd? He’s the founder of the New York City prank collective Improv Everywhere. I love what he does, it’s happy making, inspiring stuff. He gave a TED talk the other day, check it out.
Mp3 Experiment Cape Town
Here are the full details for The Mp3 Experiment taking place on Sunday, February 20th in Cape Town as part of Design Indaba. Please take the time to read all of the instructions on this page.
Date: February 20 (rain or shine)
Location: The park near Camps Bay Beach
Time: The event will begin at exactly 15:00:00. Arrive early! The event will be over at 15:45.
Wear: A Red, Blue, Yellow, or Green shirt
Bring: An uninflated balloon.
Full instructions below:
Instructions:
1. Download the Mp3: Download Page (Right click and save the link. If you just click on the link it will start playing in your browser. Spoilers!)
Note: The filename for the track is “mp3_experiment.mp3″ and the album, artist, and track name will be “Mp3 Experiment.”
2. Load the track onto your mp3 player (iPod, etc.)
3. Do not listen to the track.
4. Wear a shirt that is one of the following colors: Red, Blue, Yellow, or Green.
5. Bring an uninflated balloon. (Any kind of balloon that can be blown up.)
6. Bring a watch with a second hand (or use your cell phone if it displays seconds.) Before you leave, sync it up to this atomic clock:
7. As 15:00 approaches, stand or sit anywhere in the grassy area shaded zone in this map:
8. At exactly 15:00:00, press play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Say what now?
If you’ve never heard of The Mp3 Experiment, check out our coverage of the past six years.
How will we know when to start?
You will have synchronized your watch or cell phone clock to the atomic clock above.
Do I have to have an iPod?
No. Any mp3 player will do. If you use an iPhone, be sure to put it in airplane mode so you don’t get interrupted by a call.
Should I listen to the track beforehand?
No.
Can I listen to the track beforehand?
You really shouldn’t. Sure, there’s nothing we can do to stop you, but to really get the full experience of the event, you shouldn’t listen to it. It will spoil most of the fun. We know it’s hard to resist. Be strong.
What if I get to the event late?
Press play at the start time wherever you may be, and hurry up!
What if I don’t press play at exactly the right time?
That’s OK. We’re counting on everyone’s tracks being slightly off. Different mp3 players have different response speeds. It will be fun to see participants who are clearly ahead or behind. If you are significantly off, feel free to glance at a neighbor’s iPod and try to sync back up to the correct time.
What if I accidentally hit a button on my player during the experiment that stops the track?
We recommend turning on the “hold” button on your player after pressing play to prevent this from happening.
What if my player crashes or the batteries die during the experiment?
In the unfortunate event that this happens to you, we recommend you pretend like nothing is wrong and just go with the flow. There’s really no way to fix it, so why not have as much fun as you can anyway?
I’m coming with some friends. Should we all wear the same color t-shirt?
No. It won’t matter. You won’t be separated from them either way.
Can my shirt have writing on it?
Solid colored t-shirts are best, but it doesn’t really matter if there is writing or designs so long as it’s clear what color it is.
What if it rains?
Unfortunately we do not have a rain date.
Is there a Facebook event for this?
Yes, RSVP here on Facebook.
More here.
